Moses Lake, WA: BSL repealed

Moses Lake, WA, passed a breed-specific dog ordinance in 2008 that affected owners of “pit bulls,” Rottweilers, and Presa Canarios. The local news outlets carried very detailed breakdowns of council discussions and public objections as the ordinance worked its way through workshops, public hearings, revisions, and votes. We have an archive of the news stories here:  http://stopbsl.com/?s=moses+lake

Councilmembers Richard Pearce, Bill Ecret, Ron Covey (mayor), James Liebrecht and Dick Deane voted for the ordinance in 2008. Councilmembers Brent Reese and Jon Lane voted against it because it was breed-specific.

There’s been an election since then; Ron Covey and James Liebrecht, both pro-ordinance, have been replaced by David Curnel and Karen Liebrecht (possibly related to James?). Also since 2008, two Moses Lake residents separately made news, in January 2009 and June 2010, for their efforts to have BSL repealed. More recently, a resident filed a federal lawsuit filed against the city, alleging that the dog ordinance violates his civil rights.

Three years after the controversial ordinance’s passage, city council has voted to repeal the hazardous dog ordinance. Don’t celebrate just yet: it’s unclear exactly why the city council made this decision to repeal. Depending on their reasons,  it’s possible that they may revisit the ordinance at a later date.

Please contact Moses Lake city council and commend them for making a smart, fair, ethical decision for their citizens. You may also wish to explain the advantages of breed-neutral ordinances, and encourage them to choose breed-neutral measures in the future.
City of Moses Lake, P.O. Box 1579, 321 S. Balsam Street, Moses Lake, WA 98837
Phone: (509) 764-3701
Fax: (509) 764-3739

Moses Lake repeals dog ban

Updated: 8:16 am, Mon Oct 3, 2011.
By Cameron Probert, Herald staff writer

MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake hazardous dogs ordinance was repealed.

The city council approved the move following an executive session at a recent meeting. […]

The city is presently facing a federal lawsuit from Nick Criscuolo, claiming the city’s enforcement of the hazardous dog ordinance violated his civil rights.[…]